Darkplug vs ShuttR

Darkplug is a darkroom timer and printing tool for iPhone. It lets you control your enlarger from your iPhone using a compatible Shelly smart plug on your local network. Built for film photographers and darkroom printers, Darkplug combines precise timing, guided workflows, and a red-on-black interface designed for darkroom use. The clean timer interface is designed to stay practical under safelight conditions, with large controls and minimal clutter. Darkplug+ unlocks advanced printing tools, including F-Stop timing, guided test strips, dodge and burn planning, split grade printing, guided paper developing, and reusable Dodge & Burn plan codes. The guided test strip workflow helps you build and run exposure tests in seconds or F-Stops, then apply your preferred result as the print time. The Dodge & Burn workflow helps you plan local exposure changes, review a generated print plan, and follow guided execution steps in the darkroom. Plans can be exported and restored later with reusable plan codes. Darkplug also includes a guided developing timer for developer, stop, fix, and wash, so printing and paper processing can stay in one focused app. To use Darkplug, connect your enlarger to a compatible smart plug, make sure the plug and your iPhone are on the same local network, enter the plug’s local IP address, and connect. No account login is required. No cloud backend or external web service is needed for core timer operation. Compatible smart plugs: Shelly Plus Plug S Gen2, Shelly Plus Plug UK Gen2, Shelly Plug S Gen3, Shelly Outdoor Plug S Gen3, Shelly Plug M Gen3, and Shelly Plug US Gen4.

Is your analogue camera's shutter still accurate — or has it drifted after decades of use? ShuttR Check measures the real shutter speeds of your analog camera using nothing but your iPhone's camera and a light source. No hardware testers, no sensors to buy, no guesswork — reliably from 8s down to 1/500. HOW IT WORKS Open your camera's film back, remove the lens, and put a light source behind it. ShuttR Check uses your iPhone's high-speed camera to measure exactly how long each shutter release lets light through, then tells you how far that is from the speed you dialled in — in fractions of a stop. The app walks you through every step. There is nothing to configure, nothing to interpret: set up, release the shutter, read the result. RELIABLE FROM 8s TO 1/500 — ShuttR Check measures dependably from 8 seconds down to 1/500. An iPhone alone cannot resolve 1/1000 and up with an accuracy worth trusting, and we'd rather leave those speeds out than hand you numbers that look precise but aren't. That range also happens to cover where mechanical shutters drift the most and where a deviation actually shows up in your negatives. Timed speeds slower than 1s are there too, for the cameras that offer them. WHAT YOU GET A guided, step-by-step measurement protocol — no photography or technical background needed Automatic calibration (checks your room is dark enough and free of flickering light) Every speed compared against its nominal value, with the deviation in stops and a clear OK / deviation / defective verdict A history per camera, so you can track a shutter's condition over time A camera collection to track shutter's performance including import / export function of your camera list A shareable "shutter checked" certificate (image or PDF) — perfect for camera sellers on eBay, Etsy, or classifieds, showing buyers exactly what they're getting SHUTTER TYPES Horizontal and vertical focal-plane shutters are tested and validated — these are the shutters in most classic SLRs and rangefinders. Leaf (central) shutters should work just as well, since the app measures the light pulse itself and doesn't care how the shutter produces it, but they haven't been through the same validation, so treat those readings as unconfirmed. WHAT THIS APP IS NOT ShuttR Check gives you dependable, repeatable information about how far your shutter speeds have drifted. It does not replace a calibrated measuring instrument, and the results are not a laboratory reference — if you need certified figures, a service technician with proper equipment is still the right call. It also does not measure shutter capping. The app times how long light passes through, not how evenly the curtains expose across the frame. A shutter that tapers or caps at one edge can still show correct overall timing here. WHO IT'S FOR Film photographers who want to know if their gear is actually accurate Camera collectors curious about a new find Sellers who want to offer buyers real proof of a working shutter